Tunnel-boring apparatus.



2 BHEBTS-SHBBT 1.

MWL

'Ni i@ PATENTED JULY l0. 1906.

J. MORAN & L. H. GRIFPTH.

TUNNEL BORING APPARATUS.-

APPLIUATION'PILBD PBB.1o,1906.

L V f I No. 825,857. l v PATENTED-.IULY l0, 1906. J. MORAN & L. H. GRIFFITH.

TUNNEL BORING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED rBB.1o,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mower i rxravat ing and for transmitting narra srarss .Miras nomiY- Aun LUTHER u.

arrasa oratori.

TUNNEL-BOR!NG` APPARATUS- .To llt/ 17m/l1, if muy nonne/'11..

Bo it known that we, JAMES Morin' and laf'runu ll. (iairrrrn, citizens ot' the United States, residing aty Seattle, in the county of f King and Statt` ol Washington, have invent-.l t'd rertain new and useful improvements in l 'Funnel-Boring .\pparatus, of whirh the i'oll lowing is :i speriiiration, reterenre living had l therein to the arroinpanying drawings, in whit-ll- `l"ignre l is a lt'mgitudinal sortit-al section j oi an omhodimont 'ol' our invention; Fig. 2, a

horizontal set-tion; lFig. fi, au ond elevation; ltig. 1, a tragmentaiwY cross-sectional View, and Fig. porsportivo Views oi tht` preferred forni oi ruttor-h'niws. Y

'lhis invent ion relates to nuthanirally-optrattd earth-hortrsyand its ohjtt't is to pro- Vido apparatus whit'h is rapahlt oi' doing tunntl-worlior tht` like with ronsiderahle speed and ai. a relatively low oost.

The invention consist#y of the devires lor the cuttings l to thiy dumping-ground outsidt` ofthe tunnel.

In tho said drawings the referonre-numoral It) designates a trucljl'ysnu having at the iront oar-wheels of the ordinar)v type and at thtl rear wheels without llanges, thus allowing oi theirv hoing slid laterally oi' the trackrails to adjust tho trurk and thehoring apparatus thereon in a horizontal direction.

'lhe swrrving of the truck is attained hy an)r suitahle moans, sut-h as srre\\'s.l-i, passing through nut-sleeves l5, secured to the trnt'k or to tht` casing or framework iti thoroahow. 'lho points oi' thoI screws are desirahly seated in sorket-platos .l-t to ail'ord int-roased hearings against. the adjacent walls i7 oll tht` tunnel.4 liy witlulvrawing one of these screws and moring the opposite one outwm'dly it is a )parent that. tluitruoli will he corresponding y swtrvrd. These screws, together with similar ones ISat-tho front rnd ol`- trut'li, likewise servo to stirare tho latter against. ondwist` movement upon the rails and hold the same rigid while the horing is heiligdom'. i Vert irai angular adjust ment is given to the trut-k hy raising or lowering its rear end rolatiytly otlul axle l! hy moans ol' adjustmentser( ws (seo ltigs. i and 4,) operating through lixt-d nuts 2() and impinging against rospot-.tive top joui-nal-hrassrs 21, whirh art` slidahltin housings 2;. liotatahle and movl ahh.` axially in journal-lames i ol` theI truck is a longitudinullv-disposed shalt" .24 oli Specification of Letters Patent. Application led February 10.1906. Serial No 300,417,

Patented July 10, 1906.

greater length than the truck and provided with a keyway 25. Carriedat the forward end oi this shaft is a 'Cutter-head 26, provided with a plurality of radial arms 26', having along one of their respective `edges diagonally-arranged flanges or defiectorlates 2o, whereby the excavated material is caused to he moved rearwardly to fall into the mouth of the conduit 27. The excavating is accomplished hv cutter-points '28, which protrude diagonally forward from the opposite edges of the said arms to the flanges thereof and are detachably secured in place hy holts 2t) or their et uivalent. While thesepoints may he formed in a variety of shapes,- those illustratedin Fig. 5 show an advantageous construction and of which the .upper one is shown with a rectangular scraping or cutting edge A, the other with an acute cutting edge B, and in practice these two types ot points are desirably placed arms of the head, as represente in Fig. 3.y

In axial alinement with the head 26 and protruding forwardly therefrom is an earthaugor 30, inelosed hy a tubular case 31, having in proximity of wherethrough the horings from the auger are discharged. The purpose of this case is to furnish an additional hearing for the said rotar)r head in its proper direotion,even though the latter has heen so advanced as to be at a considerable distance from .the foremost of the hoxes 23.

The shaft 24 is driven through the taediumy i1 on alternate the head apertures 31',

pa ris and serves in retaining the outterof power-transmission gearing from a motor i 32 or, where the duty is excessive, hy two or more such units, and such gearing may advantageously comprise a pinion 32" on the, armature-shaft,- meshing with a spur-wheel 33 upon the transverse spindle 34;'.havin screw-threads cut therein which engage wit the worm-wheels 35 on the longitudinal shafts 36, provided with pinions 37, me hing with the internall -disposed teeth o -the wheel 38, which is splined to the boringshaft 24. ,-,v

Thot Amotor-shaft is also' operatively oonneoted tto a shaft YBii'hy an endless belt 40,.

passing around pulleys 4l and 42 uponthe respeptiveshafts. The last-named shaft is mounted in an orcentrie box 43, 'which is actuated h v a ,hand-lever 44,. whereh the wheel 45, carried by the shaft, is contro ed to put the same into or meut. with the wheel 46 upon the shaft 47,

ix 1o out of friotional engage- This shaft has iixedly mounted thereon a lines 49 i9', extending from straps 50 and 50 which are respectively connected by trunfront of the drums. The purpose of these lines and the mechanism for winding the Vsame is to draw the shaft 'forwardly to present the cutter-head to the work or for receding the same therefrom when required to readjust the position of the truck, and by pivotally connecting the said straps to the shaft the strains between the lines are equalizcd or imparted in an axial direction to the shaft. in certain classes vof digging, how ver, the pov/er of the above-described cutter-feedingdevices is insuii'icient to er;-

' ert the necessary forward pressure to give ample feed motion to the cutters for doing eiiicient Work. Then resortishad to the suplementary feed apparatus, which is clearly illustrated in Fig. l. consists of a hydraulic cylinder 55, mounted upon car-Wheels 56 and having a piston 57,

when they are to he with its rod 57 extending forwardly through stuiiing-box 58. The action of the piston is attained by the ressure of duid which is admitted or withfrawn, as required, through the passages- 59, leading to the ends of the cylinder from the valve-chamber 6G, communicativcly connected with the source of water-supply and controlled by a'valve 61, Which is operated hy the lever 6l and rod @'52, extemling,Y to Within ea sy reach of the attendant.' Provided at the forward end of the rod 57 are hooked members G3, openable upon pins 64 of a strap 65, rei'iessed into au annular groove of the rod. The hooks 63 of these membersare adapted to grapple the shaft 24 over the end enlargement 24 of the same and is detachably hel( in such engagement bya link 66, which encircies the hooked arms, or

held in a distended position by beingi moved` to encircle the flaring tail-arms 53 The'conduit 27, as aforesaid, has its mouth in close proximity of the cutter-head. and is connected to the boss 25 of the saine by a suspending rod 68, passing about the peripheral groove of a ring hloosely mounted in the said boss. The conduit has the top of its front end cut away and the remainder ared, as at 7 G, to provide a pan to receive the droppings from the cutter-points. The front se ction or sections of the conduit pipes maires telescopic connection with the section 27 next behind, and this section with the others, forming; the ground-line, are connected in any suitable way, as by joints 72. This conduit loads from Where the material is dug to the point of delivery, and the excavated niatcriai is conveyed through the conduit by and with a stream of Water, which is iettcd into the same frorn supply-pipes 73 and desirably through terminal reverse bends 74:.

This feed apparatus nions 51 to the shaft le to the rear and in l,pointed-ended ones scoring the face, while resse? The operation of our invention will, it is be understood fromfthe foregoing. By usingr the two illustrated types of cuttingknives the work is especially expedited, thc

being first broken into fragments capable of being handled conveniently and passed.

lengthwise through the machine.

Having described our invention, what We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isy

l. in a tunnel-boring a paratus, the combination of the truck, a s iaft, a cutter-head carried b, the shaft detachable cutter-points for said head, means to' rotate said shaft, means to im art a longitudinal movement to 'the shaft re atively of the truck, and a conduit Wherethrough the excavations are removed hy the a ency of Water.

2. ln a tonne -looring a paratus, the combination of the track, a s aft, a cutter-head carried by the shaft detachable cutter-points forsaid head, means to lrotate said shaft, means to impart a longitudinal movement to the shaft relatively of the truck, supplemental means including a hydraulic cylinder for exerting'an end pressure or pull upon the shaft, and a conduit wherethrough the excavations are removed by the agency of water.

in a tunnel-boring apparatus, the combination witl'i the truck, the supportingtracl, and the power-motor, of a shaft, the driving connections between the motor and the shaft, boringl devices mounted u on the shaft, and means actuated by sai motor whereby the shaft may be predeterminately moved in either direction longitudinally of A the truck.

4. in tunrl boring ap aratus, the combination of the truck, tiie rotatable shaft mounted upon the truck, means to drive said shaft, means to move said shaft longitudinally in its bearings, a cutter-head provided with flanged arms rigidly secured to the said shaft, cutter-points detachably connected to said arms of the cutter-head, a conduit provided with a telescopic forward portion the advanced end of which is flared transversely, and a water-pi e having its discharge end irected into sai conduit. 'A

5. ln tunnel-boringr ap aratus, the combination of the truck, t e rotatable shaft mounted upon the truck, means to drive said shaft, means to move said shaft longitudinally in its bearings, with flanged arms rigidly secured to the said shaft, cutter-points dctachably connected to seid arms of the cutter-head, a conduit provided with a telescopio forward portion the advanced end of which is flared transversely ils , said ringand ai -nation of izhe truck, t

vand protruding forwardlyof the said head, a

move said shaft longitudinally in its bearings, a cutter-head provided with flanged arms rigidly secured to the said shaft, an anvar arrange axially of the shaft and prptl'udmg forwardly of thesaid head, a

and connected bya support to a grooved ring shaft, means to rotatably mounted on the hub of said head,

water-pipe having its discharge eni directed into said conduit.

6. In mmol-boring apparatus, the combishaft, nally in its bearings, a. cutter-head provided with flanged arms rigidl secured to the said shaft, an auger arrange axially of the yshaft I port to a the hnb ov casing for the au er,cutter-};lointsdetachably pipe having its discharge em'l connected to sai arms of t e cutter-head, a said conduit. conduit rovided with a 'telescopic forward' portion t e advanced end of which is flared tures 1n presence of two witnesses. transversely, and a water-pi e having its dis- JAMES MORAN. charge end directed into sai conduit. LUTHER H. GRIFFITH. 7. In tunnel-boring ap aratus, the combil 4Witnesses: nation of the truck, (alie rotatable shaft l Pin-mui BARNES, mounted upon the truck, means to drive said 1 L. B. MAXSON.

said head, said rin", and a waterdlrected into 

